Lighting the Beacons: Kindling the Flame of Faith in our Hearts

‘A beautiful book with engaging stories to warm the soul of those on the edge of faith and those for whom faith is an old, but mysterious friend.’

Rev Kate Bottley, Radio 2 presenter

‘This book is a beacon – it gives us hope, it shines a light, it is a warning and it is a comfort. All are wrapped seamlessly into every glorious page through the generous and insightful writing. We may not have realized it yet, but we all need this book.’

Professor Dame Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome

‘This wonderful book will inspire many to play their part in the transformation of society. Wherever we are, we have the opportunity to be carriers of hope. Practical, inspiring, vulnerable and joy-filled, this book will help us all to play our part more effectively in reaching the nation for Jesus.’

Gavin Calver, CEO, Evangelical Alliance

‘This book has warmed my heart, informed my mind, inspired my spirit, and strengthened my will. It’s done that by liberating my imagination to exercise its God-given role in giving space for the longings of my heart to reach beyond conformity to the immediate cravings of our culture. It’s raised my eyes to pray and work for the better future God has planned for broken people, churches, communities and nations. It’s full of humble and self-disclosing personal stories from Bishop Jill’s own life as a scientist, wife, mother and church leader among the most broken. It’s grounded in deeply thoughtful reflection on Scripture and packed with learning from the examples of Christians from other generations and cultures. It’s punchy in style and impact. It offers new hope and rekindles faith. It’s life-changing. Buy at least two copies – one to change your own life and one to give to someone else to change theirs!’

John Coles, Chair of New Wine

‘I want to highly commend Lighting the Beacons. Firstly, I know the author and she lives this message. I am deeply moved by the theme of the book too.

The vision Jill describes of beacons of light filling our communities is exactly what the church has been praying and longing for, for hundreds of years. As she says, beacons are fanned into flame by prayer so the lights are getting brighter.’

Debra Green OBE, Executive Director, Redeeming Our Communities

‘Jill Duff is an inspirational leader who combines a sharp mind with a tender heart. I love the way that everything she does seems to focus outwards on those beyond the walls of the church, and upwards towards the Lord in prayer. This is an inspiring book which will, I’m quite sure, bring fresh hope and vision to its many readers.’

Pete Greig, Founder, 24-7 Prayer International

‘Bishop Jill Duff is a remarkable person. Filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit, she lights beacons wherever she goes. Personally, I am especially grateful to her for her inspirational insights in promoting ordination for those trapped underground by racism, intellectualism, or elitism. This book contains many valuable insights into this area as part of her inspirational vision for the future.’

Nicky Gumbel, Alpha International

‘The world can feel bleak at the moment as we face global and national challenges which can seem beyond our power to change. The temptation to despair is real and powerful. But Bishop Jill’s book quashes any such despair because it provides us with real and vivid pictures of a Saviour who is in the business of bringing light to darkness. This book will inspire and lift you. More than that, it will invite you to experience the one described within its pages. I was blessed in reading it. You will be too. A faith-building book which is much needed.’

Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales

‘All of us have hopes and aspirations. We dream of what could be, should be, what might have been. So often we live in the land of If only. And the longings live. They change with our years, growing, diminishing, changing. But what if these dreams could be realized? What if they really were meant to be?

If you have a dream of a better life, this book is for you. Within these pages you’ll meet people whose stories will inspire and encourage you that the life your deepest self wants really is possible. It’s not too late. It’s never too late.

Inside each of us is a kindling fire that God longs to fan into flame. His heart is ablaze with love for you, your desires, your purpose, your future.

The Lord of the universe is the father of miracles. He has a history of supernatural transformation. And your situation is ripe for change. Just imagine what this might mean.

There’s a light in the window of the heart of God guiding you home. And as you journey, along the way you’ll light a trail of fiery torches in the lives of others.

Be brave. Read this magnificent book and then simply pray this prayer: Not my will but yours be done. And watch your miracle happen.’

Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive, Premier Christian Media Trust

‘Lighting the Beacons is a high-energy fix of joy, ideally suited to an age when so many are speaking gloom over our church. Bishop Jill’s accessible style and heady mix of illustration, autobiography and Scripture will both lift the heart of the weary Christian and challenge the enquirer with the power of the gospel. This whole book, laced with an honest and perceptive wisdom, is itself a beacon that can lead the reader home to that place Jesus has prepared for them.

I really love the book.’

Philip North, Bishop of Burnley

‘There is no doubt that we find ourselves living in confusing and challenging times. In this winsome and accessible book, Jill Duff introduces us to the possibility of hope, the pin pricks of light that point to the real and tangible love of God who has not given up on us. Lighting the Beacons is a must-read for any who are curious, or on the brink of losing heart, for there is indeed hope.’

Dr Amy Orr-Ewing, author, speaker, theologian and Honorary Lecturer in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen

‘Lighting the Beacons is a cracking book, full of insight, wisdom and grace for our journey toward the heart of the Father.

God has placed a beacon in each one of us . . . a homing beacon if you will, that as we learn to listen, will open our hearts to his perfect plan for our lives

If you are new to the Christian faith, a committed believer, or someone who’s just exploring, then let Jill walk alongside you in this deeply personal book, as the Father lights a fire in each one of us that will become beacons of faith and hope to a lost and hurting world.’

Fergus Scarfe, Regional Director, GOD TV

‘Simple language. Clear purpose, to inspire faith. Touching stories and examples from real lives. Humbling and courageous autobiographical details. Bishop Jill Duff has given us an engaging account of how Christian faith is relevant in these times, and how it can deepen within us.

Never shying away from the thornier aspects, she patiently builds a picture of how faith works to change individual lives and the lives of those we live amongst. It is a book that challenges anyone who has been living their faith more as a hobby than a full life-commitment.

She draws on rich and proven traditions of spirituality, making this book suitable for individual reading and group-sharing. It will easily find its place within ecumenical settings.

One book can never tell it all. She leads us to a conclusion that does indeed inspire faith. This becomes a possible departure point for what could be her next volume, namely, how faith must be infused with love for it to bear fruit that will last.

I commend Lighting the Beacons to all who sense a need to refresh their faith in Christ and grow in confidence.’

Paul Swarbrick, Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster

‘Jill Duff is an inspiring leader who spreads hope wherever she goes. This book is deeply grounded in a gritty sense of place, yet is alert to the signs of God’s presence in our culture and breathes the kind of hope and longing that will lift your eyes and your heart.’

Graham Tomlin, theologian, author and McDonald Agape Director of the Lambeth Palace Library

Jill Duff is the Anglican Bishop of Lancaster in the Diocese of Blackburn in her home county of Lancashire, as well as an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of St Asaph in Wales.

She is a sought-after speaker, passionate about communicating the good news of Jesus in everyday language, and committed to finding ways for people to ‘come home’ spiritually.

A chemist by background, Jill worked in research and management in a multi-national oil company before being ordained into the Church of England. Until becoming a bishop, she served all her ministry in deprived areas of Liverpool Diocese. She was the founding director of St Mellitus North West – the first full-time ordination training college in the region for over forty years – where she taught mission, evangelism and New Testament.

Jill is mum to two teenage boys and wife to Jeremy. She enjoys long walks, long lunches and writing fun lyrics to well-known songs, as the occasion demands. She has wanted to write a book for as long as she can remember. This is her first.

LIGHTING THE BEACONS

Kindling the flame of faith in our hearts

Jill Duff

This book is dedicated with love and thanks to

Jenny Hellyer, my spiritual director, my beloved spiritual Mum.

All I have the joy to baptize and confirm.

Contents

Foreword by the Archbishop of York

Acknowledgements

1 Lighting the beacons

2 We miss you, please come home

3 Wonders of God in their own languages

4 Breathing the oxygen of peace

5 Who is key in lighting the beacons?

6 Fanning beacons into flame

7 Let Jesus coach you

8 Lifting our eyes

9 Fire quenchers

10 What is the battle?

11 Stepping into the fire

12 Land of light and glory

Notes

Copyright acknowledgements

Foreword

This is a book written with a vision at its heart, a burning fire calling us home. It is about light in darkness, about beacons burning brightly.

Over the years, these images have spoken to Jill; indeed, they continue to speak to her. Hers is a fiery faith, lit by the fire of the Holy Spirit. She writes about home, her home and the home to which we are all called. She weaves a message of hope in the midst of the struggle that is life. And this calling to come home is the strand throughout the book that holds it together. The fire in God’s heart which she speaks about lights beacons that send out the message: ‘We miss you, please come home.’

With God, there is a place for each one of us to call home, our home with God. Jill calls us to be attentive to God’s call, both in our own lives and the lives of those we meet. She wants us to live out our faith in the living God boldly, unashamed of being Christian, declaring God’s love in every word and action.

There is discipline in this: prayer, reading your Bible, going to church and participating in the sacraments of Holy Communion and baptism. None of this just happens. We need to practise. We need to develop holy habits. We need to keep our gaze fixed on heaven, because then we will learn how to call heaven down to earth. And because we are surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, we are on this journey with our friends and our faith communities.

Jill’s faith is unashamedly bold. She speaks of the Holy Spirit, of visions and dreams, as a normal part of her life. Miracles are expected, people come to faith; this is, quite simply, what God does.

Years ago, there was an arson attack on the church where I served. The fire brigade were called in time. The damage was contained, the fire put out. Next morning, as the clearing up began, one member of the congregation said this to me: I hope the fire in this church never goes out.

May this also be true for those who read this book and the churches they serve. Take time to ponder the questions at the end of each chapter. Accept Jill’s invitation to allow God to work in your life. Then grab the challenge with both hands; go out and light beacons yourself. Join with God in inviting people home.

Stephen Cottrell

Archbishop of York

Acknowledgements

In a pride of lions, many are needed to bring a lion cub to maturity. My heart swells when I think of the pride who have nurtured this book.

First of all, I would like to thank my colleagues in the Diocese of Blackburn for generously making space so that this book could see the light of day. Bishop Julian Henderson for his gift of study leave in January and February 2022. I hadn’t realized how much I would love space in my hermitage to write – one of the many ways in which he has encouraged me to be myself. Bishop Philip North, whose conversations have coaxed many of my ideas out of their shells and has helped me find my voice as a bishop (‘Are you ready to roar?’). Thanks go especially to Archdeacon David Picken who stepped into all my bishop’s work while I wrote; Archdeacon Mark Ireland, who has most persistently encouraged me to write; and my PA Judith Henderson who kept the emails, phone calls and diary at bay. Many others in Lancashire have prayed me on to this runway. I am particularly grateful for Joy Rushton, whose prayerfulness and careful observation have been a constant encouragement to me; and for Ronnie Semley, who told me as a very new bishop to ‘speak from the heart’ and made me write a weekly column for the Lancaster Guardian.

Which brings me to my next panoply of saints, who read chapters in the clunky early days: Mike Hill from the Lancaster Guardian, Prof. Edwige Camp-Pietrain, Jo Warren, Sharon Collins and the Revd Rachel Bedford.

Four readers have distinguished themselves by being prepared to read the full version on short turnaround times. I am grateful for their insightful comments and encouragements: the Revd Dr Nicholas Heale, the Revd Dr Jordan Hillebert, Dr Iman Riad and Dr Helen Moon.

Helen’s exuberant enthusiasm couldn’t help weaving its way into the pages which follow; you would enjoy meeting her for lunch as much as I have. Iman’s deep wells of Egyptian wisdom overflow across many chapters. Jordan’s beautiful insights into Christology and Augustine have added depth. Finally, over the last two years, Nicholas has quietly introduced me to his friends, most notably the English mystics, who you will meet for yourselves in many chapters. His letters to patiently answer my questions (which have sufficient content for several books) have been the fertile soil for our ‘Held in God’s gaze’ quiet days offered at Whalley Abbey.

Many people have prayed for this book. Two in particular have been its spiritual midwives: Jo Wylie and Jan Abiru. Your gems of wisdom have been invaluable. I am deeply grateful that many people pray regularly for me across Lancashire and beyond. One in particular stands tall as my spiritual mother: Jenny Hellyer. So much of what I have written is the fruit of her spiritual direction over nearly half my lifetime.

One of the best things about study leave was more time spent with my two favourite sons. Harry has been a superb pacesetter, monitoring progress, gifting me a light-up globe ‘For the Indoor Adventures’, which has lit up my desk while I wrote. When we first looked round our current house, Robbie pointed out the boxroom where ‘Mum, you’ll write your books.’ He also told me with great faith this book needs to be read by the rugby dads. I raise a glass of frothing beer to toast the dads of the Chester RFC U17 Junior Colts for all their cheering from the touchline as I wrote.

I am grateful to Alison Barr, Publisher at SPCK, who has wonderfully believed in this from the start. It was only after signing the contract that I learnt about Thomas Bray’s vision for the founding of SPCK – to help the poor and disadvantaged to have a better life. This is fundamental to my vision for the land of light and glory (see Chapters 5 and 12).

And finally, my most heartfelt roar of thanks goes to my husband, Canon Professor Jeremy Duff. Basically, he made me do this. Ever since I became a bishop, at key public moments, someone from the crowd has come up to me and asked, ‘Are you married to Jeremy Duff?’ His bestselling New Testament Greek textbook is used across the world, in multiple languages. He is a teacher par excellence. He has read and commented in detail on three full drafts. This is just a tiny glimpse of his unstinting support which gives my life such colour and courage. Maybe one day, it will be his turn to be asked, ‘Are you married to Jill Duff? I read her book about the beacons . . .’

Beacons are lit in the darkest places. So it is fitting that I finish writing on Good Friday. That darkest day of history. When the Lion of Judah was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He bore our pain, our suffering, our punishment. He went with courage to the darkest gates of hell. And roared them off their hinges. He is the Great Beacon Lighter. His light shines in the darkness and the darkness will never have the last word.

1

Lighting the beacons

A vision

This book has emerged from a vision. Not a 3D bolt-upright-in-the-night vision, complete with surround sound. But a series of corner-of-the-eye, yet-another-coincidence promptings over the last decade. A deep longing in my heart coming into focus all around me. A reality which is just a trailer of the full-blown blockbuster film to come.

It is best introduced with a clip from the film version of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

In the film of the third book, The Return of the King, when the darkness seems greatest, a little hobbit manages to scramble up to light the beacon. Then there’s this amazing cinematography of a chain of beacons being lit all across the hills. And Gandalf breathes a sigh of relief that hope has been kindled.¹

Our films are often astonishing windows into the purposes of heaven (and, of course, the purposes of hell). God has placed longings for the eternal into our human hearts. ‘You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you’, to quote the famous fourth-century African theologian, Augustine.² Our savvy film industry makes billions at the box office each year, because they know how to resonate with our deepest hopes. Their films have glimpses, previews, of our home in heaven.

When I first noticed this film clip, it was in a student presentation I was marking at St Mellitus College in 2014. Our final-year students had to give a talk about where they were going to serve as newly ordained ministers. Ashley was going to Liverpool, to St George’s Church on the hill in Everton, overlooking the city. The local primary school was the Beacon school. My role as tutor was to assess her presentation for theological content and clarity of speech. But as she played the film clip, I found myself quietly overcome by tears. The sort of tears that come from a very deep place inside. This was my hope for Liverpool, my husband’s home city, which had become my beloved home and the birthplace of my boys. This was my hope for the North West of England, my family’s home for generations. This was a picture of my hope for the nation. Beacons of hope lit in the darkest places across our land.

Then I remembered a stray comment from the previous year. I was being interviewed for the post of Director, to set up St Mellitus College North West in Liverpool Cathedral, in partnership with bishops in the North West of England. When it came to ‘Any questions for us?’, I asked the panel: ‘What would success look like in ten years’ time?’ Bishop Graham Tomlin (then Dean of St Mellitus) answered self-effacingly: ‘When I pray for the college, I see this picture of little lights coming on round the country wherever our students are sent.’

And, like scrolling through the showreel on a phone or a timehop on Facebook, this picture of the beacons has come back to me again and again and again.

Scroll forward through time six months. In one of our Half Nights of Prayer for the North West, student Rachel said: ‘As I am praying, I imagine beacons being lit across the North, fanned into flame by prayer.’ Really?

Scroll forward another six months. At the end of a long phone call with the Bishop of Carlisle, James Newcome, as a throwaway comment, he said, ‘When I came here, I found people who had been praying for years for Cumbria; they had seen fires on the hills all around.’

Scroll forward another year, I am in Truro Cathedral to talk about the potential of a partnership to form St Mellitus South West. On the wall I spot a picture of dawn breaking over Cornwall, painted in the 1980s, marking ancient Christian churches. Each was marked with a beacon.

The image was so persistent, it came to a point when I concluded that I must be going mad. Over-interpreting coincidences. Fantasy land. That very morning, my spiritual director, Jenny, emailed me out of the blue. ‘Jill, when I was praying for you, I had a distinct image of you being called to light beacons.’

The beacons have continued unabated since I became the Anglican Bishop of Lancaster in 2018. In fact, Lancashire is a county of beacon sites. I grew up in Bolton in Lancashire. My parents’ ashes are scattered on Winter Hill, north of the town, near a prominent beacon site, Rivington Pike. At the end of the day of my consecration as bishop in York Minster – a hot summer day in June – a friend came up to me: ‘Did you spot those two fires on the skyline of Winter Hill?’ Then on Remembrance Sunday, 100 years since the end of the First World War, I found myself at a civic ceremony on the hill in Lancaster by the castle and ancient priory where one of the 1,000 beacons were being lit around the country. My dear colleague, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster, Paul Swarbrick, was standing next to me. He knew my beacon story. He whispered from his deep wells of faith: ‘This is a sign of your prayers being answered.’

I am also an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of St Asaph in the Church in Wales. Leading the ordination retreat